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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · drill · tear · mark · tube · nail · wax · race

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mark — a trace
  4. race — a contest
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — the arms race
  8. tube — the underground
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tear — to rip
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — a container
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com